Molly with heirloom watermelons

In keeping with our annual tradition winery and tasting room staff arrived just behind Block 15 Mourvedre at 8:30 this morning to plant the Halter Ranch summer garden.

A marigold smiles while Katie attacks the soil

Organization of this year’s garden was undertaken by Oenologist Molly Strupp and the to be planted list included multiple types of heirloom tomato, watermelon, peppers (mild and spicy), pumpkins, cucumbers, and birdhouse gourds.

Lucas planting cucumbers on Molly’s Trellis creation

The consensus now the plants are in the ground is that playing in the dirt with green things was (not so surprisingly) an exciting and fulfilling opening to our Tuesday.

Kevin and Tony digging in the dirt

The garden provides an abundance of organic tomatoes, squash, peppers, and other edibles for the staff to cook, can, share, and otherwise consume through the fall.  Expect updates as the garden grows.

Chard and cabbage remain from our winter garden

We interplanted marigolds among the tomatoes to provide habitat for beneficial insects to keep greedy garden pests from gobbling them up.

Marigolds to draw in beneficial insects and protect our tomatoes

In addition to the marigolds we planted 5 rows of assorted flowers as additional encouragement for beneficial occupants and to provide an appealing splash of color.

Tony plants flowers

A few notable or unusual additions we failed to mention above include:  purple tomatillos, orange warty thing pumpkins, sugar baby watermelons, and rainbow carrots.

Speaking of beneficial insects, this little lady brings us luck!

Though we will be placing driplines  to water the garden going forward, today our fresh green friends received gentle and thorough hand watering.

Molly waters with bucet

Thanks for reading! Our tantalizing Tuesday recipe and pairing post series will return next week.

The completed masterpiece

Along with rest of Paso we will be celebrating all things wine among all things local this weekend!  For more information check out our website: Halter Ranch and the PRWCA website:  WineFest 2012

Expect the previously promised photo update on Monday (apologies for the delay!).   Here is a wine fun fact for your trouble:

Grenache Blanc (or Garnacha Blanca) is a light-skinned grape appearing principally in the Southern Rhone of France and the northeastern regions of Spain (Tarragona, Navarra, Priorato, Alella, Rioja).  Just under 10 acres of the variety are planted here at Halter Ranch and we use it as a blending component in the Cotes de Paso Blanc and to produce a varietal wine (100% GB) exclusively for the wholesale market.  The Cotes Blanc is available this weekend (and the rest of the year) in the tasting room, if you are interested in experiencing (the delicious) Halter Ranch Grenache Blanc we suggest visiting one (or all!) of the following restaurants:  Nepenthe (Big Sur), Luis Wine Bar (San Luis Obispo), or Thomas Hill Organics (Paso Robles).

Thank you for reading as always, and we look forward to seeing (many of) you out at the ranch this weekend!

This is a picture of Lucas during the 30 seconds he spent indoors today. Busy times! Photos of Lucas in action among the vines are forthcoming.

Prior to arriving here in Paso, Lucas worked with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cool Climate Syrah, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc (among other varieties) in Cambria and Santa Cruz.  He brings with him an intimate knowledge of vineyard management and palpable delight toward working among the vines.  When asked about his experiences thus far he responded:

I am absolutely thrilled to be involved with this beautiful place and to be a part of the Halter Ranch team going forward.

We (and the vines of course!) are very excited to have Lucas on board.

Speaking of the vineyard:

There are currently 4 crews out among the vines, shoot thinning in Cabernet Sauvignon Blocks 30 and 31 , moving wires to accommodate (abundant!) fresh growth in Cabernet Sauvignon Block 41, and planting Petit Verdot to Block 40.

04.25.12

05.15.12

According to Lucas we are in the midst of ideal growing weather.  As you can see from the photos the vines (enthusiastically) affirm this.  On a more ominous note, temperatures over the past few days have also been prime for mildew growth.  To determine this we use an index that accounts for temperature and time, ideal conditions for mildew lie between 70 and 85 degrees for periods of six hours or more daily.  To combat this we have spent the past few months inoculating the vineyard against fungal growth.

Expect a photo post later this week showing Lucas and the vineyard team in action.

As always thanks for reading and cheers!

El Pecado Reduction with Fresh Berries and Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream (or cheesecake or …), 1-2 cups of mixed fresh berries (we used blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries), 1 bottle of 2006 El Pecado

Place port (we’d recommend 1/2 of the standard split bottle) in a small to medium sized saucepan (we used an egg pan) add mixed berries and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half (about 10 minutes).  Allow the reduction to cool beneath scalding (between room temperature and warm is ideal) before pouring over ice cream, cheesecake, or other dessert of choice.

For an extra kick, try sipping a glass of un-reduced El Pecado, while tasting the delectable treat above.

Margarita Pizza with Halter Ranch Syrah Infused Sea Salt

In a flat pan with raised edges pour a thin layer of wine.  Now, as evenly as possible, sprinkle the wine with fine (small crystal) sea salt and let it absorb the liquid.  Let it dry overnight.

Now construct your favorite Margarita Style pizza (we recommend this one: Margarita Pizza Recipe) and replace the salt sprinkle with the infused sea salt.  Bake it up and taste.

Note:  This will blow your mind (in a good way ‘ )

To pair with this masterpiece we recommend 2011 Rose or the portion of 2009 Syrah remaining from the infusion.

Winemaker’s Dinner at Thomas Hill Organics Wednesday May, 9 2012 – All Evening (beginning at 5)

The Menu:

Halter Ranch 2010 Grenache Blanc
Halibut cheek lettuce wraps, sriracha aioli, crispy wontons, cilantro, basil

Halter Ranch 2009 Cotes de Paso
Pan roasted duck breast, smoked shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy, tobacco and star anise broth

Halter Ranch 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
Szechuan peppercorn creme brulee

The Line-Up

In order to stay ahead of the curve, and out of the inexhaustible need to experiment, Winemaker Kevin Sass takes the staff on a quarterly journey through a line up of barrels.  This practice is, in fact, common between barrel producers (coopers) and wineries, but it is a special treat for our staff to be included.  The process goes thus:

A series of barrels from various producers in varying styles (different levels of toast*, specific forest of origin etc.) are all filled with the same wine from the same vintage.  In our case we had 17 oak barrels, 1 neutral (as control), 2 New American, and 14 New French.  The wine we used was 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon from Block 41 in the eastern corner of our vineyard.  The task was to taste through them all and choose the top 3 and the bottom 2 among the French barrels, the preferred barrel between the two American, and to record overall impressions of each.

*To define our terms before embarking further:

Toast-refers to the degree a barrel was heated over a small bier during its construction.  The ‘toastier’ a barrel is the more it will typically impart a caramelized or ‘spicy’ flavor on wine aged in it.

Neutral-as an oak descriptor refers to a barrel that has seen at least one full season of aging with a wine.  As a result it imparts less flavor on subsequent wines.

New-refers to a barrel that is fresh out of the cooperage and in its first season of aging wine.

The various coopers we use, or are in consideration of using, send representatives to taste through with the winemaker.  They are challenged to identify which barrels are theirs.  After everyone has tasted through notes are compared and ultimately, it is revealed which barrel belongs to who.

Molly and Lucas focusing

It was fascinating to experience the varying impact a barrel may have on a wine based on the characteristics of each.  In this case, as a result of the cold 2011 summer, the wine in question had high acid and a more old world or cool climate character filled with dark brambly fruit, a cascade of lingering earthy tones, and a hint of vegetable edge one might typically associate with young Bordeaux.

Wine from the neutral barrel was predictably showing the characteristics described above, but distinction in flavor profile among the rest of the running was pronounced and stunning.  Some barrels seemed to impart very little character on the wine while others seemed to dominate it.  Surprisingly one of the ‘low impact’ barrels was American, this runs against the grain (haha!) given the higher concentration of Lactones (responsible for ‘oaky’ flavor) in the wood from American Oaks.  Higher impact barrels seemed to alter the texture of the wine, possibly by masking its acidity, lending a creamy mouthfeel and sweet spicy zest to the flavor profile.  Overall the staff seemed to prefer the higher impact barrel in the American pair.  Within the French group preferences were more varied but the barrels that received the most votes were those that provided the creamy texture mentioned prior while maintaining a pleasant balance between the character of the wine and that of the barrel.  It is important to note that the impact of a barrel and the character it will contribute to a final wine changes as the wine ages inside.  To account for this, Kevin revisits the experiment quarterly leading up to the point when the wine is bottled before making any final choices about barrels to use for the following season.

As always, thank you for reading and don’t hesitate to hit us up with questions or comments!

Not so Neat Notes

Post on this (exciting!) barrel tasting will go live Tuesday, May 1...or maybe Wednesday May 2...

An update on the latest artifact finds will appear later this week.

We bottle the last of our 2010 vintage along with another popular offering this week. A more detailed post is on the way!

Above is a photo of Block 5 Syrah taken this morning.  As a result of the abundant new growth among the vines, activity in the vineyard has reached a new peak.

We are currently inoculating the vineyard against mildew, chiseling (turning up) soil between vine and olive rows to give roots access to oxygen, and a crew of 20 is in the process of planting our new blocks on the far east and west corners of the vineyard.

One of our favorite spots on the property is looking down the Las Tablas Creekbed from the covered bridge.  Normally the creek would be flowing at this time of year but limited rainfall has led to a noticably dry, but still quite lush visual for 2012.

Winemaker Kevin Sass and General Manager Skylar Stuck are representing HalterRanch at Hospice du Rhone 2012 in Paso Robles.  Three days of all things Rhone and we can say candidly that the event promises (as always) to be amazing.  Selections from our current offering that will be making appearances are:  2009 Syrah, 2009 Cotes de Paso, 2011 Rose, and 2011 Cotes de Paso Blanc.  In honor of HdR 2012 our tasting line up onsite will be more Rhone leaning as well.  It will include the four wines listed above along with something special from the HRV cellar (fret not Cab and Zinfandel fans, both wines will still be available by the glass and on request for your tasting pleasure).

On May 9 Halter Ranch will be the featured producer at the Thomas Hill Organics Winemakers dinner.  If you have not yet visited Thomas Hill, we cannot recommend it highly enough as a locally sourced farm to table experience with a great wine list and a beautiful atmosphere!

Sunday May 6 we will be offering a free walking tour of the vineyard and pond guided by our own Lindsey Burrell.  Round trip this will be approximately a two mile walk through our beautiful vineyard ending back at the tasting room for H2O and vino.

Phew!  The season is beginning to pick up speed…

We are in the process of retrofitting the Silo Barn in order to preserve it as a landmark of the HRV property and the history of the ranch.  As a result of this process we have made an assortment of semi-archaeological, and legitimately archaeological discoveries.  A highlight from the ‘semi’ category is pictured below.

As always thank you for reading and keep an eye here between now and Monday for notes from a recent comparative barrel tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Toward racking up a few points in the continuing education category our staff got to take a tour of the Rhone valley this morning.  In the photo below is the line-up of what we tasted (and enjoyed!).